If you really want to help the Children, Teachers and Schools, Please Vote No on the November 5, 2013 CISD Bond Issue. Due to the high cost of building, opening and operating new schools, it is imperative that CISD wait until schools are needed before building them. The comment was made that if a new school is built and the need is not there or the district cannot afford to staff it, they will simply close the doors and turn off the lights. That cannot be done. One among many reasons: Air conditioning would have to be kept on to prevent mold, mildew and damages from neglect. Property Taxes will go up in order to fund multiple new schools. Maybe not this year but in the near future. The increase could be as high as $.11 per $100.00 property valuation. There has been a $.12 per $100.00 property valuation tax increase since the 2008 bond election. At the present, between $150,000,000 and $200,000,000 is all that is needed. One high school and two middle schools are needed within the next six years. The $451,000,000 is simple too much money to approve for a 10-year build out with no concrete plans. Putting that much money at the board’s discretion is not fiscally responsible. School board trustees cannot be recalled if the public disagrees with where the new schools are to be located and or how they spend the $451,000.000. The most important element in our schools is what goes on inside the classroom. The need is not there for such impressive, completely rocked, expensive buildings. High schools should not cost more than $70,000,000, middle schools should be built for approximately $39,000,000 and elementary schools should not cost more than $18,000,000. You have read over and over that CISD teachers’ starting salary is less than surrounding districts. Due to the high costs of building, staffing and operating new schools, we can utilize our existing schools to maximum capacity and budget tax dollars for teacher salaries. It is more important to invest in well-paid, dedicated teachers than in expensive buildings. Additionally, it was brought out that this is the first of additional bond issues that will be presented in the near future, that this $451,000,000 is not nearly enough. The school district uses long-term financing for short-term assets. There has been $571,000,000 in bonds issued over the past 20 years. The current bond debt is approximately $493,000,000. Put another way, only $78,000,000 has been paid off in Twenty (20) years. Issuing long-term debt to finance short term assets is simply not fiscally responsible. If you really want to help the Children, Teachers and Schools, Please Vote No on the November 5, 2013 CISD Bond Issue.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:17:08 +0000
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